Thank you for saying that. This was the 1st rock show I attended (age 13). To this day one of my favorites. Few years later I attended his GRAND WAZOO show at the Hollywood Bowl .. opened by the (3 remaining) DOORS. My sis was backstage since she knew the Doors. 🙂
I love it too, not for Flo and Eddie but for the incredible songs and instrumentation, especially Aynsley Dunbar's drumming. I am not a Flo and Eddie fan whatsoever and they are the only reason that album isn't among my favorite Zappa albums. So I can see why a lot of people don't like it.
Fillmore East 1971 is a great time capsule that only FZ and this great version of The Mothers could do. I love it! This was a great watch. Thanks, Bill. And I enjoyed all those wardrobe changes. 😄 Keep up the great work. 👍🏻
"Uncle Meat - two people didn't like this" for whatever reason made me spit out my coffee. It's my favourite and every time I've shown to someone, it seems like they die a little inside.
This turned out to be a fun video! Got me some laughs,recognition at times,shared views on some choices and really enjoyed watching.Thanks for sharing and take care!
Excellent presentation! I like all the polling you did to come up with this list! Very interesting! I totally disagree with most of it, but entertaining and disappointing that some people just don’t understand.
Ha! Uncle Meat is my favorite Zappa album. Love that Pipco shirt! Amazed I'm still watching? I'm one of those who likes Thing Fish, though I CERTAINLY get it. I probably should have changed my vote Civilization Phase III, but I appreciate the boldness of it, so 200 Motels would have been another good choice.
I really enjoyed your passionate discussion of these Zappa albums. I was waiting for this video to come out, and today I realize it did come out and I just didn't notice or UA-cam didn't put it on my recommended.
Francesco Zappa was an composer that lived from 1763 to 1788. So he was a contemporary of Mozart. But his music was somewhat oldfashioned for that time. It has baroque influences, you hear some Bach in it. The pieces are played very well and the Synclavier sounds beautiful. I like this album. Zappa recorded it as a kind of protest after he looked up his name in the Grove music encyclopedia but couldn't find it. Instead he found Francesco.
In my opinion, there are no "Bad" or "Worst" Zappa albums. I've been a Zappa fan since 1973, which is when I first heard "Just Another Band from L.A.". I was 16 years old at the time. I presently have 54 Zappa albums on CD, 18 on vinyl, and I have 10 Zappa DVDs and the Zappa biography on Blu-ray. I have several Zappa t-shirts and Zappa posters!
I'm not a fan, the music was rehashed from earlier albums, the story was not great and there's far too much talking. I find it unlistenable, some friends of mine like it. Mileage may vary.
Holy Smokes! Agree Bill... Who are these People and where do they live? All the albums you showed are all great. Joes Garage is a bonafide masterpiece. Apostrophe? Freak Out? Ruben & The Jets is in my top faves. 🤦🏻♂️ Oh boy... we got a lot of work to do. Great video. Keep Frank great!
I did vote for Ruben, but I also did say there is no such thing as bad Zappa album, just one that I listen to the least, i never liked the doo-wop on that album but loved all the other doo wop songs he recorded espelially in the 80's
Thanks for the poll, enjoyed it very much. I am one of the two who voted on "Broadway the Hard Way". I don't hate it, but it is one of a few albums from that period that I never connected with that well. Zappa never stopped growing as a composer and instrumentalist, but as a lyricist I think there was some burnout and decline in later years. I've heard several people say disparaging things about his synclavier music. To those I would say focus on the MUSIC (melody, counterpoint, harmony, tonality, rhythm, composition), not the INSTRUMENT. The synclavier music is some of his finest work, comparable to anything in his whole oeuvre. Also, there a few great songs on "Thing Fish". You aren't required to listen to the whole thing every time you play it. My apologizes for indulging in some nostalgia but....I was born in 1958 and my older sisters were huge fans and I grew up listening to the Mothers in the late 1960s. I started building my own catalogue of Zappa records about 1970 or 71 (I still have all the old vinyl in the closet). I even mailed in a dollar for the Zapped album and still have the 8-track tape of Permanent Damage in a drawer (but have not heard it for in 45 years). I bought almost everything until he died except "Beat the Bootls". I got "Civilization Phase III" and a couple of others in the mid 1990s, but I have not kept up with all of the posthumous releases. I saw every tour that came to Houston, TX from about 1973 (with Ponty, Duke, & the Underwoods) onward, including a show that was literally one or two nights after "Bongo Fury" was recorded. Great memories! He died too soon, what a loss.
Frank was on Letterman talking bout Jazz From Hell and how the synclavier enabled him to work by himself Dave replied"what's the matter Frank ? Haven't you got any friends?"
Frank would ask: "What exactly disenfranchises your listening pleasure from the music I make? Frankly, I don't give a f@#k what you think." Long live Z. Peace on earth.
I would say if someone doesn't like Uncle Meat, they probably won't like 90 percent of the rest of Frank's discography. That album has everything that makes Frank great.
Always feel a bit lost listening to Ahead Of Their Time. That album/ performance seems like it would be so amazing to actually see. Unfortunately I was born a few decades later. I feel like I missed out on something special.
Not only that, but the album is actually heavily edited. If you want to hear the complete show, you'll have to piece it together from various versions released on......I don't know....3 different albums, or something?
Again another great presentation of some trues great music, not that you would would have to is Muscians, but it seems like the dislikes out there are still looking for music to dance to and not understanding a musical genius 🎶🎶 keep it knowledge a-coming Well done
When you first announced the poll, I was going to vote for Man from Utopia. That was the first album that sprang to mind as "the worst" or my least favorite. But, when I listened to it to confirm its terribleness, a funny thing happened...I enjoyed it! So I couldn't vote for it, nor could I think of another record of his I didn't like on some level, so I ultimately didn't vote for anything. There's value in everything Frank did. That said, this was an intriguing concept and fun video. Definitely entertaining (and often baffling) to see the variety of albums others rated as their least favorite. As for Thing-Fish...I guess I get why people don't like it, and I figured it would "win" this poll, but I enjoy the hell out of it. :) Fun video, Bill! Thanks!
Francesco Zappa, Mothers Of Prevention (politics + synclavier rant...) Lumpy Gravy (I know, some people go crazy about it). Thing Fish? Well, I started to like it after 30 years of sporadic listening to it. Dale Bozzio is helping a lot. With a pen. :)
Freak Out might not be among Zappa's best albums from a listening standpoint, but its influence on music to come was monumental. I just listened to The Yellow Shark for the first time. It's mostly great and among his best, i.m.o. Personally, I'm still trying to appreciate Jazz From Hell. I bought it soon after it was released and find it a bit difficult to get into. Maybe I'll give it another try.
Zappa pronounced "synclavier" with 3 syllables, the middle being the least accented, and the last marginally the most, the "ie" being a long "e", as in "ear" or "veer". Do you think he was wrong? This has always been my preferred pronunciation, although some educated speakers marginally emphasize the first. But they are close to equal. Hear Arturia's pronunciation here: m.ua-cam.com/video/jYO55G959uc/v-deo.html Do you think they are wrong? I have heard many people pronounce it your way, and it is true that widespread mispronunciations of words often eventually become standard. Do you think this will happen?
Sink-la-veer or Sin-clavier? Puh-tay-toe, poe-tot-oh. However you pronounce it, as long as I understand it, I understand and I'm OK with it. Thanks for watching!
*"Them or Us:"* - I believe "In France," is on that double LP with one of Franks idols, Johnny Guitar Watson on the vocals. Johnny must have been more than happy to collaborate with Frank!!
Before i watch i am gonna say Francesco Zappa without a doubt only if its included because it wasnt Franks original music, a distant Relative i think Gail Zappa came across Francesco Zappa in a book whilst looking for Franks name in there & thats how Francesco Zappa was found then The Music Scores were found in a Library after researching Francesco Zappa. This is an intresting vid thanks for sharing.
I can only say that I like this format: Openly shaming casual listeners for their bias or whatever it is that causes them to criticize THE BEST Frank Zappa records ever. Bring on the merciless carnage!
Bill, I agree with all of your assessments of Franks work. So if one or 100 people think this or that is his worst album, it is statistically irrelevant among thousands or millions of Zappa fans.
Was so relieved to make it to the end of the video to see that the voters made the obvious choice, as "Thing Fish" is virtually unlistenable for most of us. I would also give a shout out to the album "Tinseltown Rebellion", a poor paste-together of songs so disappointing - it actually stopped me from continuing as a Zappa freak (although I'll forever treasure the man).
I couldnt choose any. I would literally have to start cutting into songs how many songs I like or dislike per album that would just take too long and I wasn't interested in doing it 🤣 I dont have all Zappa's but I have alot. I also feel that the posthumous releases of music that he may not have chose to put out himself are less desirable if I have to choose between what Zappa I may purchase.
With most of the albums you held up to the camera, I could only shake my head in disbelief.... We clearly have one and the same opinion every time. Three of the shown CDs / albums I have not yet in my collection (and also not yet listened to on the net), so I can not give a rating... I can only speak for myself: I have not (yet) found access to "JOE'S GARAGE", "THEM & US" and "THING-FISH". I have a hard time with these albums. Discussible is in any case "FZ FOR PRESIDENT" - a very idiosyncratic compilation that doesn't really want to work. Funny: "FRANCESCO ZAPPA" is an album I like to listen to again and again; the fact alone how the record came about is great to me. "UNDERSTANDING AMERICA" is a well done compilation. I advise to read the entries in Charles Schulz' book about it while listening to the two CDs (and generally all other records). By the way, I own approx. 90 ZAPPA CDs (including CD sets like "WAKA/WAZOO" and "THE MOTHERS 1971", and in my silver CD case (a very sturdy thing), which contains my ZAPPA CDs, there is still room for about 20 - 25 CDs. Let's see when it will be full. I started collecting FZ 3 1/2 years ago (and had some Mother CDs in the 90s).
I totally agree with your assessment on Sleep Dirt, the mixes with vocals. I can see why they would identify it as their least favorite, but the instrumental release is wonderful. I don't mind Magdalena because it's fictitious, but Do You Like My New Car suite, that's based on a true story involving an underage girl. I love Ruben and the Jets. I was one who said Thing Fish is the worst. The parts regarding the Mammy Nuns are ok but they're original. It's all the recycled material that bugs me. It's lazy writing. It's not difficult to enjoy. It's just terrible IMO. I know nothing about Understanding America. That's a new one for me.
While I did not vote in this lil exercise, I have to agree with the 4 that said "Civilization Pt. 3" is the "worst" album. Now, its not all bad, but to me it get svery mechanical sounding after awhile and that gets grating on me personally. I respect it for what it is though.....but its not one I reach for when Im in my Zappa mood.......
And this is why democracy does not work lol I don't understand the hate for Thing Fish, most of the albums on the list are excellent releases, as you say there's no accounting for taste, great vid thanks for doing this. I think you and Shaggy should to a joint video one day :-)
Nowadays "Zappawareness" is more widespread, and this video suggests to me that a lot of people are studying Zappa despite having the wrong expectations, or just the wrong mentality all-round. MY RESPONSES Thing-Fish I will continue defending and advocating...on other pages. Understanding America I have no problem with, sonically or conceptually - and there are several duller and more unrepresentative FZ comps out there. President - Its problem is that it's half an album, inflated in length and in price. Congress - A worthy document but not something you play more than once in two years (if that). AOTT - A bit surprised to see it on this list: but, incompleteness is its weakness. Little Dots - A bit surprised etc: a much better late '72 document than I.Diz. BTHW - Timelocked in the same way that Some Time In New York City is, but historical artifacts have their own interest Prevention - Problem is that the synclavier stuff sounds time-locked, and the regular songs are both "routine" and (in many cases) already over-familiar by the time the album came out Synclavier albums like JFH and Monkie Maison - yet again, they're time-locked, "electronic" sounds never age well. In this, Francesco Zappa is the extreme case that points to the broader truth. Things like YAWYI, SATLTSADW and Them Or Us probably got there for being at the commercial end of the Zappa scale. Lots of albums - ranging in significance from the trivial (Man From Utopia) all the way up to, well..., Uncle Meat, Weasels, Lumpy Gravy and the classical albums - probably got onto the list due to on "inaccessibility". The guitar albums probably got nominated for being "niche" even for FZ. Reuben likewise. The Flo & Eddie albums' inclusion can probably be blamed on the "self-hating heterosexual male"/"delusional female" contingent. But things like Freak Out and Apostrophe surely are simultaneously "beyond comment" and "unable to provoke": as with, say, Are You Experienced or The Wall or Bitches Brew, this is just well-known history
Heh....you DO fall into the typical Zappa fan argument tho... "I mean, sure I can see you not liking it because of the spoken word parts....or the extended length pieces.... or the tape slices which are basically organized noise...but still, it's a masterpiece!" hehe Just sayin....
Re: Joe's Garage cover: Regardless of the substance, it's still black face right? Wasn't around at the time but I figured it was just FZ trying to ruffle some feathers.
Zappa is Zappa. It's all one piece. Having said that, Thingfish is the one I never listened to more than once. Everything else is in constant rotation.
Just Another Band FLA is the best Flo and Ed lp by far. Its amazing. Top 3 worst 1. Jazz from Hell 2. Ahead of their time 3. Ship Arriving (ValleyGirl worst song he did)
Never forget the connection between the "like" button and exporting of videos/weblinks, and monetization, and the influence on UA-cam of the various anti-free-speech forces (including ad agencies). When you click "like", thinking you're merely telling the video-maker that you approve of this video, you are in fact, in a roundabout way, voting for yet more censorship
There is one major problem with Ahead of Their Time : Frank had issued the best bits of the concert on previous issues. People with a lot of Franks albums may not need this as the stuff that was previously unissued is, obviously, relatively uninteresting
My favorite Zappa album is the one that most hate. Zoot allures. Perhaps because it's more of a straight-up rock and roll album. I think it even had moments of punk. So, could Frank have discovered punk. It came out before the Damned.
I have a question for you Bill, unless I could email you Just trying to put my extensive Zappa collection in Order of release. The lists that I find on line are never complete. Any suggestions? Thanks again For all you do
Here is the complete list of official album releases, no bootlegs: 1. Freak Out - 1966-06-27 2. Absolutely Free - 1967-05-26 3. Lumpy Gravy - 1968-05-13 (1967-08-07 orig) 4. We’re Only In It For The Money - 1968-03-04 5. Cruising With Ruben & The Jets - 1968-12-02 6. Uncle Meat - 1969-04-21 7. Mothermania - 1969-03-24 8. Hot Rats - 1969-10-10 9. Burnt Weeny Sandwich - 1970-02-09 10. Weasels Ripped My Flash - 1970-08-10 11. Chunga’s Revenge - 1970-10-23 12. Fillmore East, June 1971 - 1971-08-02 13. 200 Motels Soundtrack - 1971-10-04 14. Just Another Band From L.A. - 1972-03-26 15. Waka/Jawaka - 1972-07-05 16. The Grand Wazoo - 1972-11-27 17. Over-Nite Sensation - 1973-09-07 18. Apostrophe’ - 1974-03-22 19. Roxy & Elsewhere - 1974-09-10 20. One Size Fits All - 1975-06-25 21. Bongo Fury - 1975-10-02 22. Zoot Allures - 1976-10-20 23. Zappa In New York - 1978-03-03 24. Studio Tan - 1978-09-15 25. Sleep Dirt - 1979-01-19 26. Sheik Yerbouti - 1979-03-03 27. Orchestral Favorites - 1979-05-04 28. Joe’s Garage Act I - 1979-09-17 29 Joe’s Garage Acts II & III - 1979-11-19 30. Tinseltown Rebellion - 1981-05-17 31. Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar - 1981-05-11 32. Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar Some More - 1981-05-11 33. Return Of The Son Of Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar - 1981-05-11 34. You Are What You Is - 1981-09-23 35. Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch - 1982-05-03 36. The Man From Utopia - 1983-03-28 37. Baby Snakes Soundtrack - 1983-03-28 38. London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 - 1983-06-09 39. Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger - 1984-08-23 40. Them Or Us - 1984-10-18 41. Thing-Fish - 1984-12-21 42. Francesco Zappa - 1984-11-21 43. The Old Masters, Box One - April 1985 44. FZ Meets The Mothers Of Prevention - 1985-11-21 45. Does Humor Belong In Music? 1986-01-27 46. The Old Masters, Box Two - Nov.1986 47. Jazz From Hell - 1986-11-15 48. London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 - 1987-09-17 49. The Old Masters, Box Three - Dec. 1987 50. Guitar - 1988-04-26 51. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 - 1988-05-16 52. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 - 1988-10-25 53. Broadway The Hard Way - 1988-10-14 54. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 - 1989-11-13 55. The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life - 1991-04-16 56. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 - 1991-06-14 57. Make A Jazz Noise Here - 1991-06-04 58. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 - 1992-07-10 59. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 - 1992-07-10 60. Playground Psychotics - 1992-10-27 61. Ahead Of Their Time - 1993-03-23 62. The Yellow Shark - 1993-11-02 63. Civilization, Phaze III - 1994-10-31 64. The Lost Episodes - 1996-02-27 65. Läther - 1996-09-24 66. FZ Plays The Music of FZ - 1996-10-31 67. Have I Offended Someone? - 1997-04-08 68. Mystery Disc - 1998-09-14 69. Everything Is Healing Nicely - 1999-12-21 70. FZ: OZ - 2002-08-16 71. Halloween - 2003-02-04 72. Joe’s Corsage - 2004-05-30 73. QuAUDIOPHILIAc - 2004-09-14 74. Joe’s Domage - 2004-10-01 75. Joe’s XMASage - 2005-12-21 76. Imaginary Diseases - 2006-01-13 77. MOFO: The Making Of Freak Out! (4CD) - 2006-12-12 78. The MOFO Project/Object(2CD) - 2006-12-05 79. Trance-Fusion - 2006-11-07 80. Buffalo - 2007-04-01 81. The Dub Room Special! - 2007-08-24 82. Wazoo - 2007-10-30 83. One Shot Deal - 2008-06-13 84. Joe’s Menage - 2008-10-01 85. The Lumpy Money Project/Object - 2009-01-23 86. Philly ’76 - 2009-12-21 87. Greasy Love Songs - 2010-04-04 88. “Congress Shall Make No Law…” - 2010-09-19 89. Hammersmith Odeon - 2010-11-06 90. Feeding The Monkies At Ma Maison - 2011-09-22 91. Carnegie Hall - 2011-10-31 92. Road Tapes, Venue #1 - 2012-10-31 93. Understanding America - 2012-10-31 94. Finer Moments - 2012-12-18 95. Baby Snakes (The Complete Soundtrack) - 2012-12-21 96. Road Tapes, Venue #2 - 2013-10-31 97. A Token Of His Extreme - 2013-11-25 98. Joe’s Camouflage - 2014-01-30 99. Roxy By Proxy - 2014-03-15 100. Dance Me This - 2015-06-21 101. 200 Motels, The Suites - 2015-11-20 102. ROXY - The Movie - 2015-10-31 103. Road Tapes, Venue #3 - 2016-03-26 104. The Crux Of The Biscuit - 2016-07-15 105. Frank Zappa For President - 2016-07-15 106. ZAPPAtite (Tastiest Tracks) - 2016-09-23 107. Meat Light (Uncle Meat Project/Object) - 2016-11-04 108. Chicago ’78 - 2016-11-04 109. Little Dots - 2016-11-04 110. Halloween ’77 - 2017-10-20 111. The Roxy Performances - 2018-02-02 112. Zappa In New York 40th Anniv. Deluxe Edition - 2019-03-29 113. Orchestral Favorites 40th Anniversary Edition - 2019-08-30 114. Halloween ’73 - 2019-10-25 115. The Hot Rats Sessions - 2019-12-20 116. The Mothers 1970 box - 2020-06-26 117. Halloween 81 - 2020-10-02 118. Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 2020-11-27 119. Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show 2021-06-18 120. 200 Motels - 50th Anniversary Edition 2021-12-17 121. The Mothers 1971 Box 2022-03-18 122. Zappa/Erie Box 2022-6-17 123. Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana 2022-10-14 124. Waka/Wazoo 2022-12-16 125. Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich 2023-3-03 Hope that helps, my friend!
I find it really funny that the three albums "Studio tan" "sleep dirt" and "orchestra favorites" got in here also how did Freak out get in here along with ruben and the jets.
Uncle Meat was the 1st Zappa album I ever heard and it transformed me. When it came out on CD, there were those dialogue tracks added that made the album tedious to listen to(aka "penalty tracks" instead of "bonus tracks"). Still a fantastic album.
200 Motels is one of my favorite Zappa albums, but Playground Psychotics is one of my least favorite. It has its good bits but for the most part it's boring. WAY too much talk, not enough rock. But it's far from the worst. Man From Utopia has a couple of good tracks, but that sing talking thing (Sprechgesang) Zappa does ruins the tunes he does it on. It's not as funny as Frank seems to think it is, Without that crap I would like this album a lot more, but it's also far from the worst. Ruben And The Jets, which I still have on vinyl, has its charms. It's definitely not the worst. Francesco Zappa isn't really a Zappa album in that he didn't write the compositions but arranged them for synclavier. They're decent Baroque Classical compositions, but by no means essential and by no means the worst. Thing Fish deserves all the hate it gets. It's a rehash of previously done works with an awful libretto and too much talk. I can't listen to it and that's the only Zappa album I can't listen to. But even it's not the worst. The worst is Cucamonga which is a compilation album released by Rhino consisting of songs recorded with the involvement of Frank Zappa and Paul Buff at Pal Recording Studio in 1963-1964. Several of the songs have no Zappa involvement at all. Why was this released? It sucks. So there's no accounting for taste.
He points it out in the liner notes. If I hadn't read it? Probably. Frank was a master of editing, he had a way of concealing mistakes, but there's parts where everyone just isn't at the same place on the score.
I disagree with a few of those picks of worse Zappa albums but I totally agree on Thing Fish being the worst Zappa album most of the picks had some redeeming tracks but Frank blew it with the Fish
Saw Zappa Plays Zappa around 10 years ago and when they said they were about to play The Evil Prince the crowd went wild for it. Came around to the album after that
@@this_is_serious There is Zappa bad & everyone else’s bad. Some of the nominations are mental…..can you imagine nominating Uncle Meat as the worst Zappa album!! Those 2 “people” need psychiatric care immediately
Zoot is not only a good album. It is a masterpiece, so is Joe’s garage I don’t understand how someone could not like a apostrophe they don’t know Frank Zappa I guess.
Just to defend my choice of Uncle Meat. There's nothing wrong with Uncle Meat. I love it. I DON'T love the punishment tracks - I do not need 50 minutes of film dialogue of which around 15-20 minutes is going on about using a fucking chicken to measure it. And as the only CD versions of Uncle Meat include them it will always be my worst - Meat Light, I love. No punishment tracks. And if they ever do a CD release of it without them, it will no longer be my least favourite album Moving on to other records in the list Man from Utopia - yeah I can see that. It's pretty scatalogical and I used to HATE Dangerous Kitchen, however the m ore I've got into jazz the more I like it. Francesco Zappa - I like that, but can see why some won't Thing Fish - Not as bad as others say - yes I know it's more scatalogical than Man from Utopia, but here that scatology is aimed at everyone and by everyone. The women dish it out as much as the men on this one. So in closing, Uncle Meat, no punishment tracks and I'll be a happy man
The real uncle meat does not have those tracks, they only apeared on the CD version that Frank himself released over 30 years ago, they are not on any other versions so why get hung up on them if they're not there?
@@HakanTunaMuzik That's my point. I don't have a vinyl player. I have to listen on CD, and none of the CDs are without these tracks. It's not even like they're at the end and can stop the CD early. They're just an annoyance.
@@zappafanprole1 maybe get meat light, it also is true to the original mastering so no digital reverb either. That does not have the bonus crap but has loads of excellent unreleased stuff from the album (good stuff)
There was a man a little old Man that lived in Montreal. And dog breath. The guitar Solo is great. Don't forget Frank HAD A LEG IN PLASTER. After being pushed off stage. In ENGLAND. SO I DIGRESS. HE MUST HAVE BEEN IN A WHEELCHAIR. DOING THOSE GUITAR SOLO. WE MUST REMEMBER. BILL FLO AND EDDIE DID HAVE GREAT VOICES. AND THE COMEDY . TIME FOR FRANK. AND FILLMORE EAST.71 AND 200 MOTELS TO. BUT REALLY 200 MOTLES WERE SENT UP ABOUT THE BAND ANY. HOW AND GROUPIES MOON AS THE NUN. RINGO AS ZAPPA. EVEN THOUGH SOUND TRACK ALBUM. OR FROM THE MOVIE. BETTER TO WATCH THE FILM. CHEERS GREAT TOPICS. ON THE ALBUMS OF FRANK. AND THE MOTHERS
Some of the titles hers leave my puzzled. Apostrophe(') is a triumph. Them or Us and Broadway the Hardway take a few listens but the hold together very well. The Man From Utopia is a satirical album that is a little over the top, but I love it. Full Disclosure: I voted for Thing Fish, and in all honesty it's an album that takes a few listens, and I gave it only two in the time that I have had the CD. I have to give it another try. I have to zero in on what Zappa is commenting on and where his satire is being placed.
I'm a man who voted. Not that my gender matters much, but I'd like to think that it makes me more of a man for having voted for the "winner" of this poll. It's not a good album. And you'd have to be quite immature and insensitive to get the most out of it... Otherwise, not a bad poll. I do disagree with Ahead of Their Time being on there. It's a very good live album.......except for the unnecessary edits that are found all over it.
Pierre Boulez only did one album with FZ: The Perfect Stranger. None of those received votes as least favorite, therefore, they weren't mentioned. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I fucking love Just Another Band from L.A.
Me too !
Especially since The Mothers 1971 came out.
Thank you for saying that. This was the 1st rock show I attended (age 13). To this day one of my favorites.
Few years later I attended his GRAND WAZOO show at the Hollywood Bowl .. opened by the (3 remaining) DOORS.
My sis was backstage since she knew the Doors. 🙂
Absolutely among my favorites!!
I love it too, not for Flo and Eddie but for the incredible songs and instrumentation, especially Aynsley Dunbar's drumming. I am not a Flo and Eddie fan whatsoever and they are the only reason that album isn't among my favorite Zappa albums. So I can see why a lot of people don't like it.
Fillmore East 1971 is a great time capsule that only FZ and this great version of The Mothers could do. I love it!
This was a great watch. Thanks, Bill. And I enjoyed all those wardrobe changes. 😄
Keep up the great work. 👍🏻
"Uncle Meat - two people didn't like this" for whatever reason made me spit out my coffee.
It's my favourite and every time I've shown to someone, it seems like they die a little inside.
I know! WTF!!!!
@BillsBoxOfSound Love your videos Bill! It's nice to have someone around who shares my Zappa passion.
It is a thing of great beauty. Probably trolls saying such a stupid thing.
The first CD version was dragged down by som newly added crappy tracks.
This turned out to be a fun video! Got me some laughs,recognition at times,shared views on some choices and really enjoyed watching.Thanks for sharing and take care!
I can't believe freak out, weasels, lumpy gravy and uncle meat were anywhere close to this list. 60s Zappa is to die for
Excellent presentation! I like all the polling you did to come up with this list! Very interesting! I totally disagree with most of it, but entertaining and disappointing that some people just don’t understand.
Ha! Uncle Meat is my favorite Zappa album. Love that Pipco shirt! Amazed I'm still watching? I'm one of those who likes Thing Fish, though I CERTAINLY get it. I probably should have changed my vote Civilization Phase III, but I appreciate the boldness of it, so 200 Motels would have been another good choice.
I really enjoyed your passionate discussion of these Zappa albums. I was waiting for this video to come out, and today I realize it did come out and I just didn't notice or UA-cam didn't put it on my recommended.
Francesco Zappa was an composer that lived from 1763 to 1788. So he was a contemporary of Mozart. But his music was somewhat oldfashioned for that time. It has baroque influences, you hear some Bach in it. The pieces are played very well and the Synclavier sounds beautiful. I like this album. Zappa recorded it as a kind of protest after he looked up his name in the Grove music encyclopedia but couldn't find it. Instead he found Francesco.
Franceso Zappa lived from 1717 to 1803.
Fun video! Interesting votes. 👏
In my opinion, there are no "Bad" or "Worst" Zappa albums. I've been a Zappa fan since 1973, which is when I first heard "Just Another Band from L.A.". I was 16 years old at the time. I presently have 54 Zappa albums on CD, 18 on vinyl, and I have 10 Zappa DVDs and the Zappa biography on Blu-ray. I have several Zappa t-shirts and Zappa posters!
I knew it'd be Thing Fish. I don't care, I still love it and think it's a masterpiece of record production by the best record producer ever.
amazing album
Totally agree. Love all Zappa but especially ThingFish.
@@dannyblaustein7352 same here, really do not understand all the hate fot it.
I'm not a fan, the music was rehashed from earlier albums, the story was not great and there's far too much talking. I find it unlistenable, some friends of mine like it. Mileage may vary.
Mammy nuns : sister noxema tapioca something 🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️
Holy Smokes! Agree Bill... Who are these People and where do they live? All the albums you showed are all great. Joes Garage is a bonafide masterpiece. Apostrophe? Freak Out? Ruben & The Jets is in my top faves. 🤦🏻♂️ Oh boy... we got a lot of work to do. Great video. Keep Frank great!
I did vote for Ruben, but I also did say there is no such thing as bad Zappa album, just one that I listen to the least, i never liked the doo-wop on that album but loved all the other doo wop songs he recorded espelially in the 80's
Civilization Phase III is great! Also, The Yellow Shark is fabulous!
Thanks for the poll, enjoyed it very much. I am one of the two who voted on "Broadway the Hard Way". I don't hate it, but it is one of a few albums from that period that I never connected with that well. Zappa never stopped growing as a composer and instrumentalist, but as a lyricist I think there was some burnout and decline in later years. I've heard several people say disparaging things about his synclavier music. To those I would say focus on the MUSIC (melody, counterpoint, harmony, tonality, rhythm, composition), not the INSTRUMENT. The synclavier music is some of his finest work, comparable to anything in his whole oeuvre. Also, there a few great songs on "Thing Fish". You aren't required to listen to the whole thing every time you play it.
My apologizes for indulging in some nostalgia but....I was born in 1958 and my older sisters were huge fans and I grew up listening to the Mothers in the late 1960s. I started building my own catalogue of Zappa records about 1970 or 71 (I still have all the old vinyl in the closet). I even mailed in a dollar for the Zapped album and still have the 8-track tape of Permanent Damage in a drawer (but have not heard it for in 45 years). I bought almost everything until he died except "Beat the Bootls". I got "Civilization Phase III" and a couple of others in the mid 1990s, but I have not kept up with all of the posthumous releases. I saw every tour that came to Houston, TX from about 1973 (with Ponty, Duke, & the Underwoods) onward, including a show that was literally one or two nights after "Bongo Fury" was recorded. Great memories! He died too soon, what a loss.
Appreciate your comment! Anyone who has the same name as my dentist and is a Zappa fan is most likely a good guy.
Frank was on Letterman talking bout Jazz From Hell and how the synclavier enabled him to work by himself
Dave replied"what's the matter Frank ? Haven't you got any friends?"
Enjoyed it, got a couple of good laughs, some raised eyebrows. In short, great fun.👍
Some of my favorites on this list but that's fun to see. I was expecting The Man From Utopia, which is my least favorite, and I still like it a bit.
"Ahead of Their Time" is fantastic once you get by the little play they do.
Frank would ask:
"What exactly disenfranchises your listening pleasure from the music I make?
Frankly, I don't give a f@#k what you think."
Long live Z.
Peace on earth.
These people who voted cant possibly be Zappa fans. Really??
Truth is stranger than fiction sometimes.
They're not fans of Frank Zappas music.
@@jasonmillion5970You can be a fan of someone, and not like a particular work they released. The real world still isn't just black and white.
I would say if someone doesn't like Uncle Meat, they probably won't like 90 percent of the rest of Frank's discography. That album has everything that makes Frank great.
I still have my original Thing fish vinyl.
I will say it doesn't rate high with me. But I'll never get rid of it!
Love your shirt changes 😀
Knew you'd dig it!
Always feel a bit lost listening to Ahead Of Their Time. That album/ performance seems like it would be so amazing to actually see. Unfortunately I was born a few decades later. I feel like I missed out on something special.
there is visual for around 15 mins of it
ua-cam.com/video/DK2sjthnpKM/v-deo.html
Not only that, but the album is actually heavily edited. If you want to hear the complete show, you'll have to piece it together from various versions
released on......I don't know....3 different albums, or something?
@@SpaceCattttt I did exactly that on a Spotify playlist :)
I was at that show. Maybe the best live Zappa show I've ever seen.
I’m now going to take the deep dive into things fish.
Franks worst would be most artists best
Love those Cal Schenkel album covers
Again another great presentation of some trues great music, not that you would would have to is Muscians, but it seems like the dislikes out there are still looking for music to dance to and not understanding a musical genius
🎶🎶 keep it knowledge a-coming
Well done
When you first announced the poll, I was going to vote for Man from Utopia. That was the first album that sprang to mind as "the worst" or my least favorite. But, when I listened to it to confirm its terribleness, a funny thing happened...I enjoyed it! So I couldn't vote for it, nor could I think of another record of his I didn't like on some level, so I ultimately didn't vote for anything. There's value in everything Frank did.
That said, this was an intriguing concept and fun video. Definitely entertaining (and often baffling) to see the variety of albums others rated as their least favorite.
As for Thing-Fish...I guess I get why people don't like it, and I figured it would "win" this poll, but I enjoy the hell out of it. :)
Fun video, Bill! Thanks!
Francesco Zappa, Mothers Of Prevention (politics + synclavier rant...) Lumpy Gravy (I know, some people go crazy about it). Thing Fish? Well, I started to like it after 30 years of sporadic listening to it. Dale Bozzio is helping a lot. With a pen. :)
cIvilization Part III is awesome
So is " dance me this "
That chair is gonna wind up workin' in a gas station
Excellent comment!
I like to think of it as my chrome plated Naugahyde roto-plooker.
17:04 as soon as I saw the corner I audibly gasped, "What?!"
Freak Out might not be among Zappa's best albums from a listening standpoint, but its influence on music to come was monumental.
I just listened to The Yellow Shark for the first time. It's mostly great and among his best, i.m.o.
Personally, I'm still trying to appreciate Jazz From Hell. I bought it soon after it was released and find it a bit difficult to get into. Maybe I'll give it another try.
Zappa pronounced "synclavier" with 3 syllables, the middle being the least accented, and the last marginally the most, the "ie" being a long "e", as in "ear" or "veer". Do you think he was wrong? This has always been my preferred pronunciation, although some educated speakers marginally emphasize the first. But they are close to equal. Hear Arturia's pronunciation here:
m.ua-cam.com/video/jYO55G959uc/v-deo.html
Do you think they are wrong? I have heard many people pronounce it your way, and it is true that widespread mispronunciations of words often eventually become standard. Do you think this will happen?
Sink-la-veer or Sin-clavier? Puh-tay-toe, poe-tot-oh. However you pronounce it, as long as I understand it, I understand and I'm OK with it. Thanks for watching!
*"Them or Us:"* - I believe "In France," is on that double LP with one of Franks idols, Johnny Guitar Watson on the vocals. Johnny must have been more than happy to collaborate with Frank!!
I'm glad you know that Frank Zappa is the greatest !!!
Thank you. Very interesting.
Before i watch i am gonna say Francesco Zappa without a doubt only if its included because it wasnt Franks original music, a distant Relative i think Gail Zappa came across Francesco Zappa in a book whilst looking for Franks name in there & thats how Francesco Zappa was found then The Music Scores were found in a Library after researching Francesco Zappa. This is an intresting vid thanks for sharing.
London orchestra albums are excellent!
I can only say that I like this format: Openly shaming casual listeners for their bias or whatever it is that causes them to criticize THE BEST Frank Zappa records ever. Bring on the merciless carnage!
Bill, I agree with all of your assessments of Franks work. So if one or 100 people think this or that is his worst album, it is statistically irrelevant among thousands or millions of Zappa fans.
Was so relieved to make it to the end of the video to see that the voters made the obvious choice, as "Thing Fish" is virtually unlistenable for most of us. I would also give a shout out to the album "Tinseltown Rebellion", a poor paste-together of songs so disappointing - it actually stopped me from continuing as a Zappa freak (although I'll forever treasure the man).
production on that record is amazing tho tis one of those ones where it doesnt even sound live
I had to watch this twice, to make sure I heard this right !
I couldnt choose any. I would literally have to start cutting into songs how many songs I like or dislike per album that would just take too long and I wasn't interested in doing it 🤣 I dont have all Zappa's but I have alot. I also feel that the posthumous releases of music that he may not have chose to put out himself are less desirable if I have to choose between what Zappa I may purchase.
There is a version of :Evil Prince" on YCDTOS Vol. 1 which is way superior to the studio version.
YES! And that guitar solo brings tears of joy. Love it, love it, love it.
Me ten years ago:
Least favorite: Absolutely Free and .,. Drowning Witch
Now Amongst my favorites: See above
With most of the albums you held up to the camera, I could only shake my head in disbelief.... We clearly have one and the same opinion every time. Three of the shown CDs / albums I have not yet in my collection (and also not yet listened to on the net), so I can not give a rating...
I can only speak for myself: I have not (yet) found access to "JOE'S GARAGE", "THEM & US" and "THING-FISH". I have a hard time with these albums. Discussible is in any case "FZ FOR PRESIDENT" - a very idiosyncratic compilation that doesn't really want to work.
Funny: "FRANCESCO ZAPPA" is an album I like to listen to again and again; the fact alone how the record came about is great to me.
"UNDERSTANDING AMERICA" is a well done compilation. I advise to read the entries in Charles Schulz' book about it while listening to the two CDs (and generally all other records). By the way, I own approx. 90 ZAPPA CDs (including CD sets like "WAKA/WAZOO" and "THE MOTHERS 1971", and in my silver CD case (a very sturdy thing), which contains my ZAPPA CDs, there is still room for about 20 - 25 CDs. Let's see when it will be full. I started collecting FZ 3 1/2 years ago (and had some Mother CDs in the 90s).
I totally agree with your assessment on Sleep Dirt, the mixes with vocals. I can see why they would identify it as their least favorite, but the instrumental release is wonderful. I don't mind Magdalena because it's fictitious, but Do You Like My New Car suite, that's based on a true story involving an underage girl. I love Ruben and the Jets.
I was one who said Thing Fish is the worst. The parts regarding the Mammy Nuns are ok but they're original. It's all the recycled material that bugs me. It's lazy writing. It's not difficult to enjoy. It's just terrible IMO. I know nothing about Understanding America. That's a new one for me.
as i understand it, "Magdalena" is actually based on a news story Frank saw in Montréal: no doubt it's furtherly fabricated but, at base, not fiction.
While I did not vote in this lil exercise, I have to agree with the 4 that said "Civilization Pt. 3" is the "worst" album. Now, its not all bad, but to me it get svery mechanical sounding after awhile and that gets grating on me personally. I respect it for what it is though.....but its not one I reach for when Im in my Zappa mood.......
Thanks for sticking around for the ride!
my least favorite is Tinseltown Rebellion" and I am surprised it got no votes
And this is why democracy does not work lol
I don't understand the hate for Thing Fish, most of the albums on the list are excellent releases, as you say there's no accounting for taste, great vid thanks for doing this.
I think you and Shaggy should to a joint video one day :-)
🌠I'll agree on no bad Zappa albums..But THING FISH comes 2 mind 1st...But even that one has some good in it..I think most people will agree on that..⭐
Nowadays "Zappawareness" is more widespread, and this video suggests to me that a lot of people are studying Zappa despite having the wrong expectations, or just the wrong mentality all-round.
MY RESPONSES
Thing-Fish I will continue defending and advocating...on other pages.
Understanding America I have no problem with, sonically or conceptually - and there are several duller and more unrepresentative FZ comps out there.
President - Its problem is that it's half an album, inflated in length and in price.
Congress - A worthy document but not something you play more than once in two years (if that).
AOTT - A bit surprised to see it on this list: but, incompleteness is its weakness.
Little Dots - A bit surprised etc: a much better late '72 document than I.Diz.
BTHW - Timelocked in the same way that Some Time In New York City is, but historical artifacts have their own interest
Prevention - Problem is that the synclavier stuff sounds time-locked, and the regular songs are both "routine" and (in many cases) already over-familiar by the time the album came out
Synclavier albums like JFH and Monkie Maison - yet again, they're time-locked, "electronic" sounds never age well. In this, Francesco Zappa is the extreme case that points to the broader truth.
Things like YAWYI, SATLTSADW and Them Or Us probably got there for being at the commercial end of the Zappa scale.
Lots of albums - ranging in significance from the trivial (Man From Utopia) all the way up to, well..., Uncle Meat, Weasels, Lumpy Gravy and the classical albums - probably got onto the list due to on "inaccessibility".
The guitar albums probably got nominated for being "niche" even for FZ. Reuben likewise. The Flo & Eddie albums' inclusion can probably be blamed on the "self-hating heterosexual male"/"delusional female" contingent.
But things like Freak Out and Apostrophe surely are simultaneously "beyond comment" and "unable to provoke": as with, say, Are You Experienced or The Wall or Bitches Brew, this is just well-known history
Heh....you DO fall into the typical Zappa fan argument tho... "I mean, sure I can see you not liking it because of the spoken word parts....or the extended length pieces.... or the tape slices which are basically organized noise...but still, it's a masterpiece!" hehe Just sayin....
Civ.lll and man from utopia. Least listened to.. by me.. " we be lookin good with da napkin on"..!
Re: Joe's Garage cover: Regardless of the substance, it's still black face right? Wasn't around at the time but I figured it was just FZ trying to ruffle some feathers.
It was originally meant to be the cover for Lather. So it just worked for the garage idea. Had to be intentional in the first place though.
The Man From Utopia is one of my favorite Zappa albums
MOST of them are favorites, but i still struggle with parts of The Man from Utopia
The earliest albums, plus Bongo Fury.
Best single would be "Valley Girl"
Zappa is Zappa. It's all one piece. Having said that, Thingfish is the one I never listened to more than once. Everything else is in constant rotation.
I expected more of the archive releases in this list. Maybe fewer people bought them.
Just Another Band FLA is the best Flo and Ed lp by far. Its amazing.
Top 3 worst
1. Jazz from Hell
2. Ahead of their time
3. Ship Arriving (ValleyGirl worst song he did)
Never forget the connection between the "like" button and exporting of videos/weblinks, and monetization, and the influence on UA-cam of the various anti-free-speech forces (including ad agencies). When you click "like", thinking you're merely telling the video-maker that you approve of this video, you are in fact, in a roundabout way, voting for yet more censorship
There is one major problem with Ahead of Their Time : Frank had issued the best bits of the concert on previous issues. People with a lot of Franks albums may not need this as the stuff that was previously unissued is, obviously, relatively uninteresting
Nice video
Joes garage and zoot allures wtf great albums
How many of those who voted do you suppose have heard all or most Zappa's albums?
yeah I'm not too fond of the Flo & Eddie period. surreal humour turned into slapstick. I still enjoy it anyway.
My favorite Zappa album is the one that most hate. Zoot allures. Perhaps because it's more of a straight-up rock and roll album. I think it even had moments of punk. So, could Frank have discovered punk. It came out before the Damned.
That's a great album and has essential tracks.
I have a question for you Bill, unless I could email you
Just trying to put my extensive Zappa collection in Order of release. The lists that I find on line are never complete. Any suggestions?
Thanks again
For all you do
Here is the complete list of official album releases, no bootlegs:
1. Freak Out - 1966-06-27
2. Absolutely Free - 1967-05-26
3. Lumpy Gravy - 1968-05-13 (1967-08-07 orig)
4. We’re Only In It For The Money - 1968-03-04
5. Cruising With Ruben & The Jets - 1968-12-02
6. Uncle Meat - 1969-04-21
7. Mothermania - 1969-03-24
8. Hot Rats - 1969-10-10
9. Burnt Weeny Sandwich - 1970-02-09
10. Weasels Ripped My Flash - 1970-08-10
11. Chunga’s Revenge - 1970-10-23
12. Fillmore East, June 1971 - 1971-08-02
13. 200 Motels Soundtrack - 1971-10-04
14. Just Another Band From L.A. - 1972-03-26
15. Waka/Jawaka - 1972-07-05
16. The Grand Wazoo - 1972-11-27
17. Over-Nite Sensation - 1973-09-07
18. Apostrophe’ - 1974-03-22
19. Roxy & Elsewhere - 1974-09-10
20. One Size Fits All - 1975-06-25
21. Bongo Fury - 1975-10-02
22. Zoot Allures - 1976-10-20
23. Zappa In New York - 1978-03-03
24. Studio Tan - 1978-09-15
25. Sleep Dirt - 1979-01-19
26. Sheik Yerbouti - 1979-03-03
27. Orchestral Favorites - 1979-05-04
28. Joe’s Garage Act I - 1979-09-17
29 Joe’s Garage Acts II & III - 1979-11-19
30. Tinseltown Rebellion - 1981-05-17
31. Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar - 1981-05-11
32. Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar Some More - 1981-05-11
33. Return Of The Son Of Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar - 1981-05-11
34. You Are What You Is - 1981-09-23
35. Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch - 1982-05-03
36. The Man From Utopia - 1983-03-28
37. Baby Snakes Soundtrack - 1983-03-28
38. London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 - 1983-06-09
39. Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger - 1984-08-23
40. Them Or Us - 1984-10-18
41. Thing-Fish - 1984-12-21
42. Francesco Zappa - 1984-11-21
43. The Old Masters, Box One - April 1985
44. FZ Meets The Mothers Of Prevention - 1985-11-21
45. Does Humor Belong In Music? 1986-01-27
46. The Old Masters, Box Two - Nov.1986
47. Jazz From Hell - 1986-11-15
48. London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 - 1987-09-17
49. The Old Masters, Box Three - Dec. 1987
50. Guitar - 1988-04-26
51. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 - 1988-05-16
52. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 - 1988-10-25
53. Broadway The Hard Way - 1988-10-14
54. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 - 1989-11-13
55. The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life - 1991-04-16
56. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 - 1991-06-14
57. Make A Jazz Noise Here - 1991-06-04
58. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 - 1992-07-10
59. You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 - 1992-07-10
60. Playground Psychotics - 1992-10-27
61. Ahead Of Their Time - 1993-03-23
62. The Yellow Shark - 1993-11-02
63. Civilization, Phaze III - 1994-10-31
64. The Lost Episodes - 1996-02-27
65. Läther - 1996-09-24
66. FZ Plays The Music of FZ - 1996-10-31
67. Have I Offended Someone? - 1997-04-08
68. Mystery Disc - 1998-09-14
69. Everything Is Healing Nicely - 1999-12-21
70. FZ: OZ - 2002-08-16
71. Halloween - 2003-02-04
72. Joe’s Corsage - 2004-05-30
73. QuAUDIOPHILIAc - 2004-09-14
74. Joe’s Domage - 2004-10-01
75. Joe’s XMASage - 2005-12-21
76. Imaginary Diseases - 2006-01-13
77. MOFO: The Making Of Freak Out! (4CD) - 2006-12-12
78. The MOFO Project/Object(2CD) - 2006-12-05
79. Trance-Fusion - 2006-11-07
80. Buffalo - 2007-04-01
81. The Dub Room Special! - 2007-08-24
82. Wazoo - 2007-10-30
83. One Shot Deal - 2008-06-13
84. Joe’s Menage - 2008-10-01
85. The Lumpy Money Project/Object - 2009-01-23
86. Philly ’76 - 2009-12-21
87. Greasy Love Songs - 2010-04-04
88. “Congress Shall Make No Law…” - 2010-09-19
89. Hammersmith Odeon - 2010-11-06
90. Feeding The Monkies At Ma Maison - 2011-09-22
91. Carnegie Hall - 2011-10-31
92. Road Tapes, Venue #1 - 2012-10-31
93. Understanding America - 2012-10-31
94. Finer Moments - 2012-12-18
95. Baby Snakes (The Complete Soundtrack) - 2012-12-21
96. Road Tapes, Venue #2 - 2013-10-31
97. A Token Of His Extreme - 2013-11-25
98. Joe’s Camouflage - 2014-01-30
99. Roxy By Proxy - 2014-03-15
100. Dance Me This - 2015-06-21
101. 200 Motels, The Suites - 2015-11-20
102. ROXY - The Movie - 2015-10-31
103. Road Tapes, Venue #3 - 2016-03-26
104. The Crux Of The Biscuit - 2016-07-15
105. Frank Zappa For President - 2016-07-15
106. ZAPPAtite (Tastiest Tracks) - 2016-09-23
107. Meat Light (Uncle Meat Project/Object) - 2016-11-04
108. Chicago ’78 - 2016-11-04
109. Little Dots - 2016-11-04
110. Halloween ’77 - 2017-10-20
111. The Roxy Performances - 2018-02-02
112. Zappa In New York 40th Anniv. Deluxe Edition - 2019-03-29
113. Orchestral Favorites 40th Anniversary Edition - 2019-08-30
114. Halloween ’73 - 2019-10-25
115. The Hot Rats Sessions - 2019-12-20
116. The Mothers 1970 box - 2020-06-26
117. Halloween 81 - 2020-10-02
118. Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 2020-11-27
119. Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show 2021-06-18
120. 200 Motels - 50th Anniversary Edition 2021-12-17
121. The Mothers 1971 Box 2022-03-18
122. Zappa/Erie Box 2022-6-17
123. Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana 2022-10-14
124. Waka/Wazoo 2022-12-16
125. Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich 2023-3-03
Hope that helps, my friend!
S do o excellent, many thanks
I must be among those 8 people on Earth whose favorite Zappa album is Sleep Dirt.
And the vocal version is a total disappointment.
I find it really funny that the three albums "Studio tan" "sleep dirt" and "orchestra favorites" got in here
also how did Freak out get in here along with ruben and the jets.
OP
I wonder which version of these albums people were annoyed with. CD version of uncle meat? Some of these were possibly due to bad mixes...
Uncle Meat was the 1st Zappa album I ever heard and it transformed me. When it came out on CD, there were those dialogue tracks added that made the album tedious to listen to(aka "penalty tracks" instead of "bonus tracks"). Still a fantastic album.
200 Motels is one of my favorite Zappa albums, but Playground Psychotics is one of my least favorite. It has its good bits but for the most part it's boring. WAY too much talk, not enough rock. But it's far from the worst.
Man From Utopia has a couple of good tracks, but that sing talking thing (Sprechgesang) Zappa does ruins the tunes he does it on. It's not as funny as Frank seems to think it is, Without that crap I would like this album a lot more, but it's also far from the worst.
Ruben And The Jets, which I still have on vinyl, has its charms. It's definitely not the worst.
Francesco Zappa isn't really a Zappa album in that he didn't write the compositions but arranged them for synclavier. They're decent Baroque Classical compositions, but by no means essential and by no means the worst.
Thing Fish deserves all the hate it gets. It's a rehash of previously done works with an awful libretto and too much talk. I can't listen to it and that's the only Zappa album I can't listen to. But even it's not the worst.
The worst is Cucamonga which is a compilation album released by Rhino consisting of songs recorded with the involvement of Frank Zappa and Paul Buff at Pal Recording Studio in 1963-1964. Several of the songs have no Zappa involvement at all. Why was this released? It sucks.
So there's no accounting for taste.
if Frank hadn't told you that the LSO had made mistakes, would any of you been able to tell?
He points it out in the liner notes. If I hadn't read it? Probably. Frank was a master of editing, he had a way of concealing mistakes, but there's parts where everyone just isn't at the same place on the score.
billy the mountain is genius
Considering how much negativity Zappa was getting on YT not too long ago, none of those choices for 'worst of' really surprise me.
I disagree with a few of those picks of worse Zappa albums but I totally agree on Thing Fish being the worst Zappa album most of the picks had some redeeming tracks but Frank blew it with the Fish
Without a doubt, the worst Zappa album is Civilization Phaze III. What a sad retread of a greater work, chock full of weak, empty synclavier noodling.
I would say the worst ones are all posthumous releases. Some of them are real clunkers.
By far to me the biggest accomplishment has been ignored because it’s over their heads..civilization phase 3 is his greatest album. By far
People can’t take the time it takes to appreciate it. The metric and tonal modulation put it on another level to all music before it
Thing-Fish
Saw Zappa Plays Zappa around 10 years ago and when they said they were about to play The Evil Prince the crowd went wild for it. Came around to the album after that
@@this_is_serious There is Zappa bad & everyone else’s bad.
Some of the nominations are mental…..can you imagine nominating Uncle Meat as the worst Zappa album!! Those 2 “people” need psychiatric care immediately
I like Just Another Band.......
I never bonded with "Sheik Yerbouti"...
Zoot is not only a good album. It is a masterpiece, so is Joe’s garage I don’t understand how someone could not like a apostrophe they don’t know Frank Zappa I guess.
Just to defend my choice of Uncle Meat.
There's nothing wrong with Uncle Meat. I love it.
I DON'T love the punishment tracks - I do not need 50 minutes of film dialogue of which around 15-20 minutes is going on about using a fucking chicken to measure it.
And as the only CD versions of Uncle Meat include them it will always be my worst - Meat Light, I love. No punishment tracks. And if they ever do a CD release of it without them, it will no longer be my least favourite album
Moving on to other records in the list
Man from Utopia - yeah I can see that. It's pretty scatalogical and I used to HATE Dangerous Kitchen, however the m ore I've got into jazz the more I like it.
Francesco Zappa - I like that, but can see why some won't
Thing Fish - Not as bad as others say - yes I know it's more scatalogical than Man from Utopia, but here that scatology is aimed at everyone and by everyone. The women dish it out as much as the men on this one.
So in closing, Uncle Meat, no punishment tracks and I'll be a happy man
The real uncle meat does not have those tracks, they only apeared on the CD version that Frank himself released over 30 years ago, they are not on any other versions so why get hung up on them if they're not there?
@@HakanTunaMuzik That's my point. I don't have a vinyl player. I have to listen on CD, and none of the CDs are without these tracks.
It's not even like they're at the end and can stop the CD early.
They're just an annoyance.
@@zappafanprole1 maybe get meat light, it also is true to the original mastering so no digital reverb either. That does not have the bonus crap but has loads of excellent unreleased stuff from the album (good stuff)
@@zappafanprole1 sorry I was not aware that the universal CD had all that included
Yeah, I should have addressed the CD version with the "penalty tracks". They really made a great album difficult to get through.
There was a man a little old
Man that lived in Montreal.
And dog breath. The guitar
Solo is great. Don't forget
Frank HAD A LEG IN PLASTER.
After being pushed off stage.
In ENGLAND. SO I DIGRESS.
HE MUST HAVE BEEN IN A
WHEELCHAIR. DOING THOSE
GUITAR SOLO. WE MUST REMEMBER.
BILL FLO AND EDDIE DID HAVE
GREAT VOICES. AND THE COMEDY . TIME FOR FRANK.
AND FILLMORE EAST.71
AND 200 MOTELS TO.
BUT REALLY 200 MOTLES
WERE SENT UP ABOUT THE
BAND ANY. HOW AND GROUPIES
MOON AS THE NUN. RINGO AS
ZAPPA. EVEN THOUGH SOUND
TRACK ALBUM. OR FROM THE
MOVIE. BETTER TO WATCH
THE FILM. CHEERS GREAT TOPICS. ON THE ALBUMS
OF FRANK. AND THE MOTHERS
Really?!!! Band from LA is far better than Joe's garage or man from Utopia. "Studebaker Hawk yah yah"
Some people must have just not liked doo wop, because Cruising With Ruben And The Jets is the best doo wop album ever made!
Worst ? To a die hard Frank Zappa aficionado that is a " woodshed " word ! Also when you let children play with your records this is what happens !
ZAPPA EGOMANIAC MUSIC HAS NO FLAVOR
Maddition is MAN FROM UTOPIA … still has some great cuts.. though…
Some of the titles hers leave my puzzled. Apostrophe(') is a triumph. Them or Us and Broadway the Hardway take a few listens but the hold together very well. The Man From Utopia is a satirical album that is a little over the top, but I love it. Full Disclosure: I voted for Thing Fish, and in all honesty it's an album that takes a few listens, and I gave it only two in the time that I have had the CD. I have to give it another try. I have to zero in on what Zappa is commenting on and where his satire is being placed.
No accountoing for taste.
You can’t say the worst or best of because of the range of his music people that like the apostrophe album aren’t going to like the Boulez album
It seems that "The Other People" were out in droves when you took this poll Bill....
You're the other people too! Found a way to get to you!
@@BillsBoxOfSound
Lol, they certainly did hehe.
Joe’s Garage?!?! NOT REAL ZAPPA FANS
I'm a man who voted. Not that my gender matters much, but I'd like to think that it makes me more of a man for having voted for the "winner" of this poll.
It's not a good album. And you'd have to be quite immature and insensitive to get the most out of it...
Otherwise, not a bad poll. I do disagree with Ahead of Their Time being on there. It's a very good live album.......except for the unnecessary edits that are
found all over it.
Why don't You talk about the two albums with Pierre Boulez ?
Pierre Boulez only did one album with FZ: The Perfect Stranger. None of those received votes as least favorite, therefore, they weren't mentioned. Thanks for watching and commenting!